A New England Winter on a Small Income

November snow at Mrs. White's Vermont Home - A view from the front porch.

We've had our first heavy snowfall of the season this morning here in rural Vermont.   It is a good day to stay home.  I was thinking about Pa and Ma Ingalls and how the family would stay at the homestead and not venture to town on a day like today.    In the writings of Laura Ingalls she would talk about the men using a horse-drawn cutter which, I imagine, is a sled with a sharp base to travel in the snow without difficulty.  We would certainly appreciate such transportation here in Vermont!

In the older books of Grace Livingston Hill (such as In the Way, copyright 1897) the characters are dressed very warm, and are tucked into sleds with thick robes, or wool blankets, for traveling to church and such.  (This is an excellent book, by the way, and one of my favorites!)

There is often talk, even in the writings of Charles Dickens in Dombey and Son, about how one would sit by the warmth of the fire to read or visit.  Getting close to the fireplace is how the chill from outdoors was soothed.

In modern homes and businesses there is central heating which makes the entire building kept at a set temperature to ensure warmth and comfort.  But in old houses, such as our 1850's colonial, there is no such thing.  Our struggle, and our challenge, each year is to find ways to keep warm indoors on a small income.

There are many rooms in this humble, old house, over three stories.  We also have different sources of heat. Part of our second floor is the least expensive with a wood pellet stove.  In some of these rooms there is electric heat, which is unbearably expensive, but necessary at times.

 In other rooms, mostly on the main 1st floor, we have kerosene (which used to be oil) heat.  This will keep us very cozy and happy but it is very expensive at over $3.00 a gallon.  If our tank is 200 gallons, and the weather outside is 40 below zero (common on some February days), we will go through a great deal of kerosene (perhaps an entire tank full) in about 3 weeks if we want to be at a comfortable temperature.  But this is not something we can afford to do.  So by comparison of the way people lived in our readings of old literature, we learn many things of how to stay reasonably warm, in cold New England, at a reasonable cost.

 Looking out the Window at the snow- covered landscape from Mrs. White's Home

Here are some ideas of what we have learned, living in this chilly, drafty old house for 15 years:


1. Winter clothes are very important. We cannot walk around the house in summer attire.  We need thermals, house coats (robes), and cozy slippers. 

2.  Papa keeps the thermostat (for kerosene) at 60 degrees in the evenings.  During the day he sets it at 63.  I get up early and open all the curtains to get as much natural heat from the sun as possible.

3. We are very hesitant as to when we will first turn on the kerosene heat for the winter.  We are also very cautious about how long we can put off that first delivery.  This year it happened in October because the cold weather had settled in right in the middle of autumn.  The reason we must be so careful about this is because we only have so much money available for heat to get through an entire winter season.

4. If we are very cold, Papa will start a fire in our old wood stove in the downstairs kitchen. We have a small table and chairs set up nearby so we can sit and get warm while sipping on hot chocolate. This is also our only source of heat if the electricity goes out.  It is so cozy and a blessing to sit by the warmth of a fire!

5.  Every doorway, including the one connecting a living room to a kitchen on the first floor, must have an insulated curtain. (I have read that in England, curtains are lined with Flannel to keep houses warm.)  We keep these curtains closed so that each room is kept warm.  Each room must be closed off from the rest in order to keep the rooms reasonably warm.

6. Have you ever read of Children in one-room schoolhouses in winter-time?  They all pulled their desks close by the wood stove and did their lessons near the source of heat.  I don't think anyone would have thought they could keep an entire building warm.  One would have to get near the fireplace, or wood stove, to stay warm.

You also read of families, at home, going upstairs at bedtime to a cold room and snuggling under piles of homemade quilts for warmth.  In the morning, Mother or Dad would start a fire in the kitchen stove to start breakfast for the family. This was also a way to warm up the house before they woke up the children in order for them to get dressed by the fire.

I am grateful for modern heating, but it is not something you find in humble old houses, even today.  In our case, we cannot afford to keep our house at 70 degrees. That would be a luxury beyond our means.  Our winters last for about 6 months.  One would need an entire separate income to keep this old house that cozy. So we learn from history to go near the fireplace or the wood- stove to take off the chill as we rest for a little while.  Then we get back to our home-keeping work which also helps keep us warm.

7.  When you are sitting too long, and you first get up from under blankets or afghans you will be much colder than normal.  Once you start doing some chores, sweeping, putting away laundry, you will warm up.  There is no need to turn up the heat unless you cannot get warm from being active.

8.  Whenever I have to travel (to the store or on errands) with Papa driving our car, I bring a warm blanket for my lap so I am extra tucked in and cozy.   I have also enjoyed the experience of being in a horse- drawn wagon and we were all tucked in with thick wool blankets to keep us nice and warm on a lovely December day here in Vermont.

9. Keep a supply of beautiful blankets and afghans in all the rooms.  We have these on rocking chairs, on the sides of couches, and in chairs by the beds.  This provides extra warmth as we sit for our breaks, visit with guests, or when we go to sleep.

10. When we are expecting company, or grandchildren are visiting, I always tell them to dress very warm. "Wear sweaters," I tell them. I also say to put a cozy blanket- sleeper on the babies. In this way, they will be warm as they play and visit in our drafty, old house.

Gentle Falling snow on our Front Grounds here at Mrs. White's Estate

I also love to just stay home as much as possible in cold New England.  I will do a great deal of reading, sewing, crocheting, and baking.  This is time for the indoor home arts.  Pretty candles also add an idea of warmth and a sense of cozy ambiance.   The warmest room in the house is where you will often find us.  This is our front parlour by the wood pellet stove.

The front parlour at Mrs. White's home

Each year we try to find new ways to keep warm on a small income.  Someday, we hope to add another wood pellet stove to the 1st floor. It will be far less expensive than the kerosene.  Perhaps this will happen soon.

How do you keep warm in winter? We would love to hear your ideas and experience of keeping a warm home with little money.

Blessings
Mrs. White


From the Archives -

Are You a Member? - Mother's Benevolent Society.

Old Time Colonial Advice - To Earn and Not to Spend.

Difficult Days - Forgotten Kindness in Marriage.

Mrs. White's special book for homemakers:"Introduction to Home Economics:  Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking." Paperback, 200 pages. 

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